On Thursday, February 20, Pebbles and Tilly were released into a brand-new exhibit space at CuriOdyssey. Pebbles and Tilly will be time-sharing this space with Merlin, CuriOdyssey’s 13-year-old (and somewhat crotchety) resident raccoon. But Merlin gets a pass for being slightly grumpy – he’s currently the oldest living racccoon in captivity. And we’re so glad to have him!
Merlin, the oldest living raccoon in captivity, in his new exhibit space with animal keeper Megan

While Pebbles and Tilly have been sharing a space for a while and get along well, neither have yet met Merlin. Until the pair have been introduced, they will not occupy the same exhibit.

Curiodyssey’s animal keepers will first introduce the raccoons through smells (like blankets and other objects that are scented like one another) and sight (seeing one another from afar) before working up to placing them together in the same space. It’s vital that the introduction process is a slow and careful one in order to ensure animal safety. If introductions aren’t slow and steady, there’s the potential for the raccoons to not get along.

Pebbles and Tilly exploring their new exhibit space.

The new exhibit space, complete with grass, logs, and three times the space of the former raccoon exhibit

The three raccoons will be sharing the exhibit space on a rotating basis until the introduction process is complete, which our animal keepers hope to complete in the coming weeks.

See more of Pebbles and Tilly and find out where they came from in our behind-the-scenes raccoon video.

Read about Merlin, Pebbles and Tilly in the San Francisco Chronicle, Cookies and Clogs blog, and SFist. Thanks for the amazing coverage!